Never before have their been more late night hosts on television at the same time.
With so much competition, each of the hosts needs to do more and more to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. For Jimmy Fallon, it’s a kind of everyman comedy and a bunch of fun celebrity games. For Stephen Colbert, it’s high-brow guests and satire. For Seth Meyers, it’s cameos from SNL alums and recaps of current events—and that’s not even all of the hosts on TV! Among that crowded market, uniqueness is the most important thing.
When it comes to James Corden’s show, his strategy for standing out is a little different than the rest.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Corden is a British comedian and host of The Late Late Show.
Previously helmed by oddball host Craig Ferguson, The Late Late Show is known for its more informal, panel-style discussions among guests. Beyond that, though, Corden has carved out his own lane by creating a segment he calls Carpool Karaoke. In these remote clips, Corden is usually driving a car accompanied by a celebrity guest. As they drive around Los Angeles, the two of them sing songs together on the radio—and if the celebrity guest is a musician themselves, they often end up doing their songs!
Although there have been plenty of Carpool Karaoke segments that have gone viral, the one with Adele just might be one of the best.
It all starts with Corden alone in the car on the phone.
After a couple sly nods to lyrics from Adele songs, Adele herself gets in the car and the audience bursts into applause! After a little bit of banter, they’re ready to get into the karaoke. It all starts off with a familiar rendition of Adele’s smash hit “Hello.”
Still, things change a bit when Corden starts adding his own harmonizing over it. Needless to say, Adele is shocked—Corden can really sing!
When they hit the peak of the song, Corden keeps up his end and the audience bursts into applause once again!
After a minute, Adele interrupts the song to announce that she actually plays the drums on “Hello” as well.
Now it’s Corden’s turn to be shocked! Once the song is over, Adele tells Corden some stories about drinking around Christmas time. The two chat for a while until it’s time to start the next song. Sure enough, it’s “Someone Like You.”
This time, Corden lets Adele take the lead on her song… and she sounds just as good as the studio recording.
Next, they talk about Adele’s Spice Girls fandom… before transitioning into their 90s hit song “Wannabe.” If you were looking for Adele to sing a Spice Girls song, you’ll definitely want to tune in around six minutes into the video! Beyond that, the two do another Adele standard… but the absolute best part is Adele rapping Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster” by Kanye West!
Make sure you make it all the way to the end!
Although it goes without saying, Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segments have touched America’s heart.
There’s something fun about seeing these international pop stars explain a little bit about their process, goof around and generally have some fun in the process. Although this isn’t the only one of these segments out there on the internet, it’s definitely one of the best ones we’ve ever seen! If you’ve watched the others, which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
As always, thanks to Corden and Adele for this performance! Check out the full video below:
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